Art of making links.



J. MERRITT.

ART OF MAKING LINKS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 1912. RENEWED JUNE 30,1915.

1 1 61 ,003. Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

TTED @TATE% @FFTQE.

.rosnrn MnnnrTT, or HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, nssrcnon Tc Tnn nnnrronn LOCK RING COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A conronnTioN or coNNncTIoUT.

A or MAKING LINKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. f6, 1915.

Application filed June 1, 1912, Serial No. 700,970. Renewed June 30, 1915. Serial No. 37,368. i

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JosnrI-I Mnnnrrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Art of Making Links, of which the following is a specification.

I This invention relates to an improved method of making connecting links for chains, pendants and various attachments, and to improved'blanks for use in employing the method. These links may be used for a great variety of purposes, for example, for uniting or articulating various parts of chains, pendants, lockets,snap hooks, swivels, in the jewelry trade, andin the plumb ing, hardware and other trades, for permanently attaching and articulating fixtures, handles, pulls or trimmings. These links may be permanently attached and closed in connection with the manufacture of the articles to which they are to be connectedyor the blanks may be manufactured and sold separately as commercial articles to be used in manufacturing or connecting or repairing the various attachments oryother articles for which they may be used.

Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings are plan views illustrating my preferred method of making the outer sheath or enveloping member of the link combination, Fig. 1 showing the link sheath in the circular form in which it is most conveniently producednvhile Fig. 2 illustrates the process of straightening out portions of the sides of the sheathmember from the form shown in Fig. 1, to enable the inner or staple member tobe inserted. Figs.

3 to 10 inclusive illustrate the process of closing together the sheath-member of Fig. 2 around and partly by means of the inner or staple .memberof the combination. Fig. 8 illustrates thesheath and staple separately in their disconnected form. Fig. 4 illustrates the position in which the sheath and end view of either one of the recessed dies preferably used for closing the links.

The inner member 1 is in the general form of a staple, and therefore, for conciseness of expression, is so designated here-in. When, as herein illustrated, and as is considered preferable, the endsofthe staple are intended to overlap each other and wedge tightly together inside of the sheath, to increase their clenching and holding effect, the arms or prongs of the staple are tapered by fiatteningthe sides which are to lap together at 2. and 3, as best, shown in F 3, inwhich the staple is turned slightly edgewise toward the observer for, better illustration of this feature. The armsor prongs constituting the body ofthe staple, are made closer together than the corresponding arms of the sheath member, the comparison being best shown in Fig. 4; and the ends of the armsof the staple are spread as also illustrated in that figure, to enable them to register with and enter the open endsof the sheath member 4.. These outwardly bent ends of the staple terminate in inwardly curved extremities, one

of which, as illustrated by 5, being bent inwardly more than the other extremity 6 of the staple, sov that these points will safely pass each other, when ,they. meet, as illustrated in Fig. 6. This ogee form of the arms enables them to enter and'slide freely into the inwardly curved ends 18 of the sheath member, without unduly straining or deforming the sheathmember. The end 6, having the longer curve lies adjacent to or against the inside of the outer wall of its arm of the, sheath member, which thus form a guide for that end of the staple during the closing movement. The other arm of the staple is similarly guided by the similar interior of the outer wall of the other arm of the sheath member, which, however, bears against the high or crown portion 7' of the which is circular in cross-section, although obviously oth'ersections. maybe employed, inwhich case the cross-section of the staple member should he made in-conformity.

' shown in Fig. 1, preferably by winding it nally of the spiral coil or tubing. In order' to open these rings and spread'their arms wise symmetrical. tioned clrcularly by means of a spline or spirally upon a cylindrical mandrel, following the customary method of making. wire springs, the rlngs being then separated from each other by a cut 8 extending longitudisuiiicient to receive the ends of the staple, and to admit between them whatever articles are to be joined by them, the rings are delivered to a spreading device, of which the instrumentalities operating directly upon the ring are shown in two positions in Figs'l and 2. The ring is first centered and otherwise accurately positioned by means of the centering and. guiding jaws 9, the inner facesof which are grooved at 10 to receive the edges of the rings. In addition to being centered, the ring is positioned circularly,

with relation to the point 8 at which the .rings are severed, so that the arms to be formed by the spreading operation shall approximately be of equal length and other- The ring is'thus posifeather 1.1 which is appurtenant to the inner jaw 15, and extends througha slot in the top of the semi-cylindrical expanding stud 12, which lies within the'ring. The inner, semicylindrical gripping jaw 15 also lies within the ring, which when thus positioned is gripped between the inner jaw 15 and an external gripping jaw 16,which firmly hold the back of the ring between them as shown in Fig. 2. The spreading stud or jar 12 is then moved to the position indicated in Fig. 2, thus spreading apart the ends of the ring and straightening or reducing the curvature 'of the side arms 17, leaving, however, short portions 18 of the ends of the arms approximately their original curved contour, for the reasons hereinafter explained. In closing these staple and sheath members of the ring together, they are first threaded through or articulatedwith whatever links or fittings are to be joined by them, all of which are, however, omitted from the drawing for greater clearness of illustration of the clos ing operation. The ends of the staple 1 are then inserted in the open ends of the sheath member, as'shown in Fig. 4. The staple and sheath are'then forced together by means of any suitable implement, worked by hand or otherwise, and having opposing jaws 20 and 21, provided with grooves 22 for engaging the sheath and the staple respectively, as

illustrated in Figs. 7 to 11 inclusive. The

grooves or recesses 22 in those jaws are made to conform tothe final form taken by the completed link, shown in Fig. 10. During the first portion ofthe closing operation,

the base of the staple l rests against the bottom of the groove 22 of the jaw 20, as shown is Fig. 7, those ends are safely guided into the groove 22. As the closing movement continues, the curved ends 18 of the sheath seat in the curve 22, which, being shaped in conformity with the curved ends of the arms, guide them truly and extend their curvature along the arms during the rest of theclosing operation. At or about the position shown in Fig. 8, the ends 18 of the sheath reach the unflattened base portion of the staple, which therefore fills the ends of the sheath arms, so that the latter, reinforced on their outer surfaces by their conformity with the groove 22 of the jaw 20 form guides not only for their own true closing'movement, but also for guiding and'controlling the position and movement of the base of the sheath, thus reducing its curvature to the slight extent necessary to bring it into conformity with its final seat in the arms of the sheath. Meanwhile, the tapering ends of the staple, having passed each other as shown in Fig. 6, are guided by the inner surfaces of the sheath until the ends of the sheath meet, as shown in Fig. 10 at the completion ofthe operation. The length of the staple and the taper of its ends are preferably proportioned to the length of the sheath member, so that the tapering ends of the staple are wedged together and thus'expanded tightly against the inner walls *of the sheath, even'to the-extent of very slightly deforming the sheath, so that the" construction of the-sheath, and the friction of four abutting surfaces is utilized in addition to the clenching action, to resist the the purpose of enabling the cut ends of the ring to meet accurately in a close fitting joint, but to enable the portions each side of and immediately adjacent to the joint to attain andmaintain the curvature desired for this portion of the link, so as to make no apparent kink or interruption in the regua.

larity of the contour of this portion of the completed link. In other words, these ends of the arms shouldinitially be made in the exact/contour and curvature which they are to form in the completed ring, and should not be deformed therefrom during the closing process, on. account of the, difficulty of reforming them truly, if deformed. It is not so diiiicult, however, to reform the other portions of the sheath, farther away be initially formed to their ultimate scontour, to avoid the difficulties hereinbefore described of reforming and joining the ends accurately from any other than their ultimate contoura.

I claim as my inventionzk 1. The method of making a composite link which consists in forming a U-shaped tubular sheath with ends separated from but curved toward each other; forming a U- shaped core; and forcing the core into. the sheath and causing the ends of the core to come together and the curved ends of the sheath to close; whereby a solid closed link having uniform curvature is produced.

2. The method of making a composite link which consists in forming a U-shaped tubular sheath with ends separated from but curved toward each other; forming a U- shaped core with legs that taper to their ends; and forcing the core into the sheath and causing the thin ends of the core to lap past each other and the curved ends of the sheath to close together, whereby a solid closed link having uniform curvature at the junction of the sheath ends is produced.

3. The method of making a composite link which consists in forming a U-shaped tubular sheath with ends separated from but curved toward each other; forming a U- shaped core with legs that taper and curve outwardly toward their ends; and forcing the core into the sheath and causing the thin ends of the core to lap past each other and the curved ends of the sheath to close together, whereby a solid closed link having uniform curvature at the junction of the sheath ends is produced.

4-. The method of making a composite link which consists in forming a U-shaped tubular sheath with ends separated from but curved toward each other; forming a U- shaped core with legs that taper and curve outwardly and inwardly towardtheir ends; 1

and forcing the core into the sheath and causingthe thin ends of the core to wedge past each other and the curved ends .ofthe sheath to close together, whereby. a solid closed link having uniform curvature at the junction of the sheath ends is produced.

5. The method of making a composite link which consists in forming a U-shaped tubular sheath with ends separated from but curved toward each other; forming a U- suaped, core with tapering legs one of which curves outwardly and 1S bent inwardly at its end; and forcing the core into the'sheath and causing the thin ends of the core to lap past each other and the curved ends of the sheath to close together, whereby a solid closed link having uniform curvature at the junction of the sheathends is produced.

6. The method of making a composite link which consists in forming a U-shaped tubular, sheathwith ends separated from but curved toward each other; forming a U- shaped core with tapering legs that are closer together than the sides of the sheath and curve outwardly and inwardly toward their ends; and forcing the core into the sheath and causing the thin ends of the core .to wedge. past each otherand the curved ends of the sheath to close together, whereby a solid closed link having unlform curvature at the unction of the sheath ends is produced.

'7. The method of making a composite link which consists in forming a U-shaped tubular sheath with ends separated from each other; forming a U-shaped core with tapering legs one of'which curves outwardly and is bent inwardly toward its end; and forcing the coreinto the sheath and causing the thin ends of the core to wedge past each other and the'curved ends of the sheath to close together, whereby a solid closed link having uniform curvature at the junction of the sheath ends is produced.

8'. The method of making composite links which. consists in forming a tube into a spiral coil; severing the coil longitudinally on one side to produce independent tubular sheaths; spreading the ends of the sheaths without altering the curvature adjacent to the ends of the sheaths; forming wire into U-shaped cores and forcing said cores into said sheaths and causing the curved ends of the sheaths to close together and the ends of the cores to wedge together and completely fill the sheaths, whereby solid links having a uniform curvature at the junction of the ends of the sheaths are produced.

9. The method of making composite links which consists in forming a tube into a spiral coil; severing the coil longitudinally on one side to produce independent tubular sheaths; straightening the sheaths so the ends will coincide; spreading the ends of the sheaths without altering the curvature adj acent to the ends of the sheaths; forming wire into U-shaped cores and forcing said cores into said sheaths and causing the curved ends of the sheaths to close together and the ends of the cores to wedge together and completely fill the sheaths whereby solid links havinga uniform curvature at the junction of the ends of the sheaths are produced;

10. The method of making composite links which consists in forming a tube into a spiral coil; severing the coil longitudinally on one sideto produce independent tubular sheaths; straightening the sheaths so the ends will coincide; spreading the ends of the sheaths; forming wire into U-vshaped cores having tapering legs that curve outwardly and inwardly; and forcing said cores into 1 said sheaths and causlng the curved'ends of sheaths; straightening the sheaths so the ends will coincide; spreading the ends of the sheaths without altering the curvature adjacent to the ends of the sheaths; forming wire into U-shaped cores having tapering legs that curve outwardly and inwardly;

and forcing saidcoresinto said sheaths and causing the curved ends of the sheaths to close together and the ends of the cores to wedge together and completely fill the sheaths, whereby solid links'having a uniform curvature at the junction of the ends of the sheathsare produced; 7

12. The method of making composite links which consists in forming a tube into a spiral coil; severing the coil longitudinally ing tapering legsthat curve outwardlyand inwardly; and forcing said cores into said sheaths and causing thecurved ends of the sheaths to close together and the ends of the cores to wedge together and completely fill the sheaths,= whereby solid links having a uniform curvature at the junction of the ends of the sheaths are produced;

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses this 29 day of May, 1912.

7 JOSEPH MERRITT.

Witnesses EDWARD H. LORENZ, CHARLOTTE S. HULL.

copies of this patent .may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent 5 a Washington D. G. 

